A new microcosm approach to litter decomposition studies

1988 ◽  
Vol 66 (10) ◽  
pp. 1933-1939 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barry Taylor ◽  
Dennis Parkinson
Keyword(s):  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Physical Structure ◽  
Decay Rates ◽  
Soil Organisms ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Decomposition Rates ◽  
Soil Animals ◽  
Significant Deterioration ◽  
Field Situation ◽  
Natural Situation

Microcosms, simplified analogues of natural ecosystems, are a useful tool for studies of litter decomposition. A literature review shows that if microcosms are carefully constructed to mimic nature accurately, they allow researchers to control and independently vary normally covarying environmental factors (temperature, moisture, soil animals) that influence decomposition rates, while maintaining a sufficiently natural situation so that results of laboratory tests may be extrapolated to the field situation with confidence. A simple, inexpensive system of laboratory microcosms for decomposition studies is described and evaluated in this paper. The microcosm, housed within an airtight PVC chamber, consists of a litter layer overlying a core of forest floor strata collected with a minimum of disturbance to physical structure and populations of soil organisms. The microcosms have been tested with soil and litter from an aspen woodland and a pine forest, at temperatures ranging from −6 to +26 °C, and have been maintained in the laboratory for up to 6 months without significant deterioration. The microcosm system provided decomposition estimates that were precise, replicable, and rapidly obtained by measuring either mass loss or CO2 efflux from litter samples. Problems with the method include rapid increases in populations of some soil animals, difficulty in controlling relative humidity, and acceleration of decay rates compared with those in litter in the field.

Aspen and pine leaf litter decomposition in laboratory microcosms. II. Interactions of temperature and moisture level

1988 ◽  
Vol 66 (10) ◽  
pp. 1966-1973 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barry R. Taylor ◽  
Dennis Parkinson
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Decay Rates ◽  
Important Influence ◽  
Decomposition Rates ◽  
Dry Conditions ◽  
Rate Interaction

To explore the relative influences of substrate type, temperature, and moisture on litter decomposition rates, leaf litter of aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) and pine (Pinus contorta Loud, × P. banksiana Lamb.) was decomposed in laboratory microcosms for 16 weeks at 2, 10, 18, and 26 °C and 15, 30, or 60 mL∙week−1 watering rate. Multiple regressions on mass remaining indicated temperature was a more important influence than watering rate for both species, but the degree and nature of response were different for pine compared with aspen. Decay rates of aspen were strongly affected by temperature and less so by watering rate, but pine decomposition was quite insensitive to both. For aspen, watering rate was a more important influence on decay rates at low temperatures (2 and 10 °C), while for pine it was more important at high temperatures (18 and 26 °C). There was a very strong interaction of time with temperature in the determination of aspen decomposition rate, but none for pine. All these differences are attributable to the disparate chemical and physical natures of the two litter types. The time × watering rate interaction was weak for both species, and there was no temperature × watering rate interaction at all. As a consequence of these differences in response to climatic variables, aspen leaves decomposed faster than pine needles under most conditions, but under cold, dry conditions pine decomposed faster than aspen.

Litter decomposition in coastal hemlock stands: impact of nitrogen fertilizers on decay rates

1983 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 116-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ranjit S. Gill ◽  
Denis P. Lavender
Keyword(s):  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Calcium Nitrate ◽  
Decay Rates ◽  
Nitrogen Fertilizers ◽  
Western Hemlock ◽  
Decomposition Rates ◽  
Litter Bags ◽  
Coated Urea ◽  
Qualitative Measure

Urea, gypsum-coated urea, and calcium nitrate fertilizers differentially affected indigenous rates of litter decomposition on the forest floor for coastal stands of western hemlock (Tsugaheterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.). These differences were most pronounced during the first 6 months after fertilization. Urea and gypsum-coated urea both stimulated the rates of litter decomposition, although the effect of gypsum-coated urea was more gradual. In contrast, calcium nitrate somewhat retarded existing decomposition rates during the first 6 months; after 12 months, it had little or no impact. The significant (P < 0.05) positive correlation of percentage of lignin in litter with time renders it an important qualitative measure of decomposition rates in studies utilizing litter bags.

The legacy of climate change effects: previous drought increases short-term litter decomposition rates in a temperate mixed grass- and shrubland

2016 ◽  
Vol 408 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 183-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Merian Skouw Haugwitz ◽  
Anders Michelsen ◽  
Anders Priemé
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Decomposition Rates ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Climate Change Effects ◽  
Mixed Grass

scholarly journals Litter Decomposition Rates of Biocrust-Forming Lichens Are Similar to Those of Vascular Plants and Are Affected by Warming

Ecosystems ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Berdugo ◽  
Dinorah O. Mendoza-Aguilar ◽  
Ana Rey ◽  
Victoria Ochoa ◽  
Beatriz Gozalo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Vascular Plants ◽  
Decomposition Rates

scholarly journals ORGANIC CARBON DYNAMICS IN GRASSLAND SOILS. 1. BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND COMPUTER SIMULATION

1981 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 185-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. VAN VEEN ◽  
E. A. PAUL
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Decay Rates ◽  
Background Information ◽  
Plant Residues ◽  
Decomposition Rates ◽  
Straw Decomposition ◽  
Soil Biomass ◽  
The World

The decomposition rates of 14C-labelled plant residues in different parts of the world were characterized and mathematically simulated. The easily decomposable materials, cellulose and hemicellulose, were described as being decomposed directly by the soil biomass; the lignin fraction of aboveground residues and the resistant portion of the roots entered a decomposable native soil organic matter. Here it could be decomposed by the soil biomass or react with other soil constituents in the formation of more recalcitrant soil organic matter. The transformation rates were considered to be independent of biomass size (first–order). Data from 14C plant residue incorporation studies which yielded net decomposition rates of added materials and from carbon dating of the recalcitrant soil organic matter were transformed to gross decomposition rate constants for three soil depths. The model adequately described soil organic matter transformations under native grassland and the effect of cultivation on organic matter levels. Correction for microbial growth and moisture and temperature variations showed that the rate of wheat straw decomposition, based on a full year in the field in southern Saskatchewan, was 0.05 that under optimal laboratory conditions. The relative decay rates for plant residues during the summer months of the North American Great Plains was 0.1 times that of the laboratory. Comparison with data from other parts of the world showed an annual relative rate of 0.12 for straw decomposition in England, whereas gross decomposition rates in Nigeria were 0.5 those of laboratory rates. Both the decomposable and recalcitrant organic matter were found to be affected by the extent of physical protection within the soil. The extent of protection was simulated and compared to data from experimental studies on the persistence of 14C-labelled amino acids in soil. The extent of protection influenced the steady-state levels of soil carbon upon cultivation more than did the original decomposition rates of the plant residues.

scholarly journals Assessment of Leaf Litter Decomposition in a Pine and Beech Mixed Forest: Case Study in Northern Spain

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 25
Author(s):  
David Candel-Pérez ◽  
J. Bosco Imbert ◽  
Maitane Unzu ◽  
Juan A. Blanco
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Mixed Forest ◽  
Decomposition Process ◽  
Tree Canopy ◽  
Natural State ◽  
Nutrient Cycles ◽  
Decomposition Rates

The promotion of mixed forests represents an adaptation strategy in forest management to cope with climate change. The mixing of tree species with complementary ecological traits may modify forest functioning regarding productivity, stability, or resilience against disturbances. Litter decomposition is an important process for global carbon and nutrient cycles in terrestrial ecosystems, also affecting the functionality and sustainability of forests. Decomposition of mixed-leaf litters has become an active research area because it mimics the natural state of leaf litters in most forests. Thus, it is important to understand the factors controlling decomposition rates and nutrient cycles in mixed stands. In this study, we conducted a litter decomposition experiment in a Scots pine and European beech mixed forest in the province of Navarre (north of Spain). The effects of forest management (i.e., different thinning intensities), leaf litter types, and tree canopy on mass loss and chemical composition in such decomposing litter were analysed over a period of three years. Higher decomposition rates were observed in leaf litter mixtures, suggesting the existence of positive synergies between both pine and beech litter types. Moreover, a decomposition process was favoured under mixed-tree canopy patches. Regarding thinning treatments significant differences on decomposition rates disappeared at the end of the study period. Time influenced the nutrient concentration after the leaf litter incubation, with significant differences in the chemical composition between the different types of leaf litter. Higher Ca and Mg concentrations were found in beech litter types than in pine ones. An increase in certain nutrients throughout the decomposition process was observed due to immobilization by microorganisms (e.g., Mg in all leaf litter types, K only in beech leaves, P in thinned plots and under mixed canopy). Evaluating the overall response in mixed-leaf litters and the contribution of single species is necessary for understanding the litter decomposition and nutrient processes in mixed-forest ecosystems.

Application of a high-throughput laboratory method to assess litter decomposition rates in multiple-species experiments

2013 ◽  
Vol 57 ◽  
pp. 929-932 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pablo García-Palacios ◽  
Rubén Milla ◽  
Mónica Álvaro-Sánchez ◽  
Nieves Martín-Robles ◽  
Melchor Maestro
Keyword(s):  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
High Throughput ◽  
Laboratory Method ◽  
Decomposition Rates ◽  
Multiple Species

scholarly journals No Difference in Instream Decomposition Among Upland Agricultural and Forested Streams in Kenya

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen C. Kadeka ◽  
Frank O. Masese ◽  
David M. Lusega ◽  
Augustine Sitati ◽  
Benjamin N. Kondowe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Leaf Litter Decomposition ◽  
Limited Data ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Decomposition Rates ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Fine Mesh ◽  
Agricultural Streams

Expansion of agriculture is particularly worrying in tropical regions of the world, where native forests have been replaced by croplands and grasslands, with severe consequences for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem functioning. However, limited data exist on the effects of agriculture on the functioning of tropical streams. We conducted a leaf litter decomposition experiment in coarse- and fine-mesh litterbags using the three species of leaves (Eucalyptus globulus [non-native], Vernonia myriantha, and Syzygium cordatum [indigenous]) in three forested and agricultural streams to determine the effect of agriculture on instream leaf litter decomposition in headwater stream sites. We also examined the functional composition of macroinvertebrates in the streams through the contents of benthic kick samples. Agricultural streams had a less dense riparian canopy and smaller abundance of coarse organic particulate matter, and higher electric conductivity and suspended solids than forested streams. In terms of the effects of litter quality on decomposition rates, Vernonia had the fastest decomposition rates while Eucalyptus had the slowest in both forested and agricultural sites. Shredder invertebrates were less abundant in agricultural streams, and in both stream types, they were less diverse and abundant than other functional groups. Overall, leaf litter decomposition rates did not respond to agricultural land-use. The hypothesized negative effects of agriculture on organic matter processing were minimal and likely modulated by intact riparian zones along agricultural streams.

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